Maya, Aztec, and Inca
Civilizations
Mesoamerica
Mesoamerica = Mexico & Central America
Mesoamerica
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Some of the greatest civilizations in the
Americas developed in Mesoamerica
The Maya and Aztec lived in the
Mesoamerican region
How did people first get to the
Americas?

Theory #1 = Bering land bridge
Humans migrated into North America
from Asia by crossing over a land bridge
between Alaska and Siberia…
How did people first get to the
Americas?

Theory #2 = Coastal migration
Humans migrated to the Americas by
crossing the seas, most likely the Pacific
Ocean, and settling along the western coasts
of the Americas…
Where did the ancient Maya live?
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The Maya settled on the Yucatan
Peninsula in central America.
Maya Political Structure
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The Maya were NOT AN EMPIRE and NOT
UNITED politically…
Maya civilization was made up of citystates
Each city-state had its own ruler
Social Structure

Social Pyramid
 King
Noble
class: Priests, leading
warriors
Specialized workers
peasants
Maya Architecture
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built towering temples and palaces
Atop the temples, priests performed religious
ceremonies and sacrifices while people watched
from the plazas below
Ceremonial platforms, temples, pyramids,
observatories, ball courts all built by the Maya
Maya Religion
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The Maya were polytheistic
The Maya practiced human sacrifice
Advances in learning
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The Maya created a writing system of
hieroglyphics
Advances in learning
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The Maya created a set of numerals
Also developed a 365-day calendar
What happened to the Maya?

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The Maya abandoned many of their cities
around 900 A.D.
Archaeologists DO NOT KNOW WHY Maya
civilization declined

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Theory: Around 900A.D. there was a severe
drought. Many died due to starvation others
migrated away.
Warfare
Maya today
…more than 2 million Maya people live in
Guatemala and southern Mexico today.
Maya Video Clip
http://www.watchknow.org/Video.aspx?Vide
oID=12203
This National Geographic video shows the Mayan Pyramids.
It is part of the series Lost Temples and it tries to give an
answer to the question "Why did the Maya abandon their
magnificent city of Chichen Itza?" There is reference to Maya
culture.
Aztecs
Where did the Aztecs live?

The Aztecs lived in what is known as the
Valley of Mexico in central Mexico.
Tenochtitlan

Tenochtitlan was the capital city of the
Aztec Empire.
Legend of Tenochtitlan
The gods told the Aztecs to search for an
eagle holding a snake in its beak perched
atop a cactus. This is where they were to
build their capital city. The Aztecs saw
this sign on a swampy island in lake
Texcoco.
Legend of Tenochtitlan
How did the Aztecs build a city in
the center of a lake?
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Tenochtitlan was built on an island
It was connected to the mainland by
causeways leading north, south, and
west of the city.
The city was interlaced with a series of
canals, so that all sections of the city
could be visited either on foot or by
canoe.
Tenochtitlan

Today, Tenochtitlan is
Mexico City
Government
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The Aztecs created an empire through
conquest
Conquered people and local rulers had to
pay tribute to the Aztecs
The Aztecs had an emperor
The Aztec Emperor’s main job was to lead
in war
Social Structure

Social Pyramid
 King
Noble
class: Priests, leading
warriors
Specialized workers
Peasants
slaves
Religion & Mythology
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Aztecs were polytheistic
Huitzilopochtli was
the main Aztec god.
(weets se lo poch tlee)
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The Aztecs built massive temples and
pyramids dedicated to their gods
Religion & Mythology
Pyramid of the Sun
Pyramid of the Moon
Human Sacrifice
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Human sacrifice was a common practice of the Aztecs.
For the reconsecration of Great Pyramid of Tenochtitlan
in 1487, the Aztecs reported that they sacrificed 84,400
prisoners over the course of four days.
To give the sun strength to rise
each day, human sacrifices were
offered.
What happened to the Aztecs?

Spanish conquistadors led by Hernan Cortes
conquered Tenochtitlan and defeated the Aztecs
in 1521.
Aztec Video Clips
“Engineering An Empire”
http://www.watchknow.org/Video.aspx?Vide
oID=6255
“What the Ancients Did For Us”
http://www.watchknow.org/Video.aspx?Vide
oID=10964
Inca
Where did the Inca live?
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The Inca controlled an empire in the Andes
Mountain region of South America.
Government
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The Sapa Inca (emperor) had absolute power.
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The emperor claimed to be the son of the sun.
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The emperor was also the empire’s religious
leader.
The empire was divided into four regions with
the capital at Cuzco.
Organization
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Each family in a community was assigned
a specific job.
Government officials arranged marriages.
The government organized mandatory
public service building projects.
Uniting the Empire
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The Inca built a massive road network
through mountains and across rivers and
gorges.
Stonework
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The Inca constructed stone temples without
using mortars yet the stones fit together so well
that a knife would not fit between the stones.
Religion
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The Inca were polytheistic.
The primary god was Inti, the sun god.
Religion
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Inca believed in reincarnation.
The Inca practiced cranial deformation.
-They achieved this by wrapping tight cloth
straps around the heads of newborns to alter
the shape of their soft skulls into a cone-like
shape.
Medical Advances
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The Inca performed successful skull
surgery.
The Inca also used medicines to make
patients unconscious during surgery
What happened to the Inca?

Civil war in the empire broke out...
AND
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Smallpox spread, killing much of the
Inca…
Fall of the Inca

BUT ultimately, it was Spanish conquistadors led
by Francisco Pizarro that brought about the
fall of the Inca Empire.
Inca Video Clip
http://www.watchknow.org/Video.aspx?Vide
oID=2301